Conservative Party releases rankings

This is an annual thing, but the Conservative Party released its annual rankings of members of the state legislature. They choose several bills as key votes (here’s a description for both the Senate and the Assembly.) Sen. Greg Ball, R-Putnam County, was the top Conservative dog in the Senate. He scored 80. Two freshmen from Central New York, Assemblyman Donald Miller, R-Onondaga County and Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney, R-Oneida/Oswego, got 92 ratings in the Assembly.

Here’s an explanation from Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long, as well as the rankings:

We believe that it is necessary to keep the public informed of these key votes and let the taxpayers be aware of how elected officials spend our money. We often look beyond the budget bills to consider how other legislation effects school budgets, health coverage and how unfunded mandates increase the cost of doing business in New York,” said Mike Long, State Chairman.

“A review of the twenty-five bills we used in this year’s ratings will show voters where the legislature is erroneous and some show where they have helped New Yorkers”, said Long. “The ratings give voters a scorecard on how their individual legislator voted and how many times they force local governments – reeling from unfunded mandates – to raise taxes or nanny state proposals that interfere in how we choose to live our lives,” Long continued.

“Last November, New York State voters sent a record 17 new Members to the Assembly, and two of the newest Members scored a 92%, the highest score in either house,” Chairman Long noted,. “the 17 new Members helped turn New York’s Assembly a little more to the right and eliminated Speaker Silver’s two-thirds majority by one vote.